Started the day in Mildura, very civilised, leaving from the hotel and immediately crossing the border into New South Wales..... Sydney 1030km the sign said. However, it was freezing a fact that was not helped by the hotel room being cold! The early morning sun had little warmth in it and just to cap things off, the wind was strong and in my face ..... and that headwind stayed most of the day!
Today ended up as the longest distance and time in the saddle so far. Over 290km and 10h 45 mins of riding! Not the most enjoyable as i was working against the wind all day, but satisfying to get to the end and with 70km to go the wind direction was better.
High: Seeing the lights of Hay just as the last rays of sun disappeared!
Low: loosing the feeling in the ends of my fingers, despite wearing long fingered gloves
Magpies - OK i have to create a separate category i think, coz they are always the low point. Just three attacks today, the best/worst depending if you are man or magpie was 50km from Hay ..no trees so they must have been getting possessive about a bush ha ha! .. a pincer movement two magpies one left, one right! i remember spotting the one on the left heading for my head like a missile, head down, beak out, flapping like crazy - it only pulled away about half a meter from me! Have been thinking about how to deal with this .. i reckon a can of hairspray .. any other ideas??
Music - with the strong headwinds i went for music i knew would motivate me, so it was a lot of gym bunny stuff and the last slog into Hay was Paul VD again ... he is becoming a good friend for when i need to get my head down and focus.
Stats:
291km (Total 3240km, 115 riding hours)
S 34' 30.5
E 144' 50.617
Hey Gary, Well done so far !
ReplyDeleteWe've been following your tracks and pleased you are now in the best state in Australia...NSW.
I know what it's like to be without internet...we just had 3 days on Bintan Island...I was exhausted lying on the beach thinking about your ride !
Brilliant effort so far, each day we enjoy reading the blog to make sure you've chalked up another leg of the journey ... it's a great read.
Keep up the wonderful spirit..
Cheers, Scott D & family.
You are really doing well Gary. You'll be able to see the lights of Sydney soon and then it's but a mere stroll into Victoria and onto Melbourne. It appears you're mental fitness is as good as your physical, congratulations again on a wonderful effort. I'll see you on Sunday 18th October.
ReplyDeleteJohn, The Smith Family, Melbourne
Gary
ReplyDeleteYou should have got stuck into those Ceduna oysters. They are great. They get a blue tinge to them when at their best.
I am looking forward to catching a lift on your handlebars down the hill to Bondi beach. You may need a new bike for the ride to Melbourne, or at least new handlebars, front wheel, frame. Hope the brakes are still good.
People stick those pipe cleaners out of their helmets to annoy the magpies. Personally I suggest a heat seeking missile launcher be mounted on your support vehicle or your head.
See you on Sunday. I will bring a gun.
neil
Gary
ReplyDeleteApparently the best magpie defence is having something sticking out and up from your helmet. I have seen the pipe cleaners and I have just read about cable ties. It will not stop them attacking but it makes them less likely to strike you.
The other suggestion from a cycling site was that if you speed up to 60 kph the magpie is not very effective at hitting you. You will also finish in just 4 or 5 hours a day - easy! Maybe they meant temporarily?
neil
yep yep...just did a quick check and it seems cable ties can do the job...just don't overkill or you will look like a satellite.
ReplyDeleteabout 5 cable ties, 15cm to 20cm long attached and pointing out in directions from which the magpies swoop from (front, back, top, and sides).